Kise x Kuroko: A Fluffy Relationship
by HonestyIsMyPolicy
Summary: Just some random KiKuro drabbles (Reposted from my AO3 account )
1. Chapter 1

Kise nearly melted the first time he saw The Smile.

Kagami- the big idiot- didn't even notice, although he was the one to earn the smile out of the boy after offhandedly complimenting a particularly good pass Kuroko made during a two-on-two between the four of them- Kise, Kasamatsu, Kagami, and Kuroko. Kagami and Kuroko had been playing one-on-one on the court by Kuroko's house when Kise just happened to walk by with Kasamatsu- by which I mean he texted Momoi until she told him where Kuroko would be that afternoon in a totally not stalkerish way.

Anyways, after hearing the compliment and bumping fists with Kagami, Kuroko got this adorable little smile on his face; it was just the barest curve of his lips and the deepening of a dimple to the left of his lips that Kise had not noticed before, but it was enough to get his heart rate up to unhealthy levels.

"Kise-kun, it is not polite to stare," Kuroko mentioned, the smile disappearing, leaving his normally expressionless- although not emotionless- face in its wake. As much as Kise wanted to then tackle Kuroko to the ground and rub his cheek against his and babble about how CUTE Kuroko was and beg Kuroko to give him another one of those smiles, he managed to contain himself because obsessing over it would most certainly not get Kise another one of those smiles.

"Aw, but Kurokocchi is so adorable, how can I not stare? It gives Kurokocchi an unfair advantage," Kise pouted.

"Kise-kun, please focus on the game at hand."

"So mean, Kurokocchi!"

But the game continued until Kuroko was too tired to keep playing and the group split up, Kuroko and Kagami walking toward Maji Burger, Kasamatsu and Kise walking towards their homes with Kasamatsu scolding Kise over dragging him all the way there just to stalk Kuroko and did he know Kasamatsu had his own stuff to do and if Kise liked Kuroko so much why didn't he just date him. Kise provided the required reactions while being lectured, but his mind was more focused on how to get another smile like that out of his Kurokocchi.

The second time Kise glimpsed The Smile was while Kagami and Aomine were playing one-on-one, cursing each other and proclaiming that they were both the best, being arrogant and hot-headed as always.

Even though watching Aomine and Kagami was amusing, especially since one or the other ended up falling on their butt at some point, watching Kuroko's face was much better; the way he tilted his head to the side when one of them did something to try to confuse the other or slightly biting his lip when one of them fell or almost fell or... well, Kise could go on for hours, and he had, mostly to an annoyed Kasamatsu.

The Smile appeared this time because Kagami came the closest to beating Aomine he ever had and the two started squabbling immediately after over whether Aomine truly was the only one who could beat Aomine- per usual. Kuroko was oblivious to Kise's staring, or he chose to ignore it, although Kise guessed it was the former because The Smile didn't seem to appear when Kuroko knew others were looking. But there it was again, making his eyes sparkle and sending Kise's heart rate through the roof. He could barely contain himself; with that smile, Kuroko could become a total heartthrob.

Too bad it was about as common as Kagami beating Aomine in a game.

And when it appeared, it wasn't for nearly long enough.

"Oi, Kise, stop with your staring and get over here." Kise blushed bright red, annoyed at being caught by none other than Bakagami, and reluctantly agreed to closely ref a rematch between the two because Kagami was convinced he would win if Ahomine would just stop fouling him constantly. When Kise finally glanced back at Kuroko, the boy's face was clear of amusement and he was absorbed in some book. Kise suppressed a sigh and tuned back into the whining of the Two Idiots.

"Ne, Kurokocchi, go on a date with me."

Kuroko didn't even bother looking up from his book. "No, thank you, Kise-kun."

"But, Kurokocchi," Kise whined, dragging out the syllables of the other boys name.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko's gaze flicked up from the book, annoyance obvious in his beautiful blue eyes. "Please do not make such silly proposals."

Kise had tagged along with Kagami and Kuroko on one of their outings to Maji Burger- Momoi really was a saint- and Kagami seemed too absorbed in devouring a platter of burgers to care what Kise was saying. "But, I want to go on a date with Kurokocchi!" Kise pouted.

"Kise-kun, whining is not attractive."

"Aw, you're such a meanie, Kurokocchi!"

"You are still whining, Kise-kun. What if your fans saw you?"

"Ne, I'm cute no matter what, right?"

"..."

Kise dragged his eyes from Bakagami's disturbing eating habits to see Kuroko, blank-faced Kuroko, blushing slightly.

"Kise-kun should not ask such things; vanity is unbecoming."

"But that's not a denial... does this mean Kurokocchi thinks I'm cute?"

"...I never said that."

Kise whined for a while longer and, eventually, Kuroko put down his book and gave Kise his full attention. All the while, Kagami tuned them out in favor of shoving food into his mouth and occasionally taking a swig of his soda.

Kuroko sipped his milkshake, both hands wrapped around the cup, looking adorable- as always. "Kurokocchi is so cute!" Kise enthused. "Eh, Kise, stop with the lovey-dovey; some people are trying to eat here." Kagami groaned, stuffing another burger in his mouth.

"Ba-bakagami!" Kise yelped, his face flushing at the accusation, which was kind of true, but still. Getting called out on it by half of the Idiot Duo was enough to piss anyone off, especially because Kagami was usually so oblivious. "Eh? Who you calling baka, baka?!" Kagami barked, his own face flushing red.

Kuroko watched the boys fight- irritatingly loudly- as he finished off his milkshake. Then, without either of his friends noticing, The Smile graced Kuroko's face.

And, this time, it was directed at the one who so desperately wanted it.

Stupid Kise, Kuroko thought.

At least the Third Idiot had the next few years to figure it out.

The Smile was always meant for the dummie who was watching.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kurokocchi, time to wake up!" Kise trills softly, wiggling over onto Kuroko's side of the bed, poking the boy's cheek slightly. "You can't sleep the day away!"

Immediately, Kise feels a sharp elbow digging into his chest and he jerks back. "Kurokocchi! That wasn't very nice!"

The boy doesn't respond, only pulls the blanket closer around him and his puppy, who is more than happy to get more cuddle-sleep time with his master. Kise huffs in annoyance, crossing his arms and glaring at something off in the distance; he doesn't have much more time before he has_another _photo shoot overseas and he wants to spend as much time having fun with his Kurokocchi as possible before he has to leave.

Obviously, his boyfriend has other plans.

Kise is so zoned out that he doesn't notice Kuroko roll over to watch him, eyes still bleary from sleep. "Kise-kun," Kise glances over, still pouting, not caring that he should let the boy get his rest after the eventful day they had. "You should not pout. Your face might get stuck that way." Kise rolls his eyes, still upset, and then giggles softly at the stark contrast between Kuroko's crazy bedhead and the serious expression on his face.

"What is that you find amusing, Kise-kun?" There's a warning in Kuroko's voice, but Kise continues to laugh because Kuroko has a weakness for his smiles- something he's gathered from the two years they've lived together. Kuroko doesn't stand a chance at staying mad when Kise's happy.

Kise takes a moment to look at his boyfriend; the messy sky blue hair, the matching light blue eyes, the slight tilt of his head he does whenever he asks a question, the light pink of his adorable lips, the pale creamy white of his skin... Two years isn't nearly long enough to get used to the sight of Kuroko beside him in the mornings. If he could wake up next to Kuroko every morning for the rest of his life, it wouldn't be enough for him. When it comes to his adorable, gorgeous, sexy, beautiful, cute boyfriend, Kise Ryouta is extremely selfish. He can feel the amusement disappear from his face and a small, content smile takes its place.

"Oh, nothing, just admiring my Kurokocchi." Kise runs a hand through his boyfriend's messy hair. "How does Kurokocchi's hair get like this when he hardly moves in his sleep? What do you think, Nigoucchi?" The puppy glances up at his name and Kise smiles at how Nigou's eyes match Kuroko's. Maybe he should take Nigou on trips with him; then he might be less lonely. "Arf!" The puppy barks, squirming out of Kuroko's hold and diving into Kise's lap.

"I think Nigoucchi needs a walk." Kise says as the dog enthusiastically licks his face. He hears Kuroko sigh and start to move to get up, but Kise stops him. "Don't worry; I can walk him myself. You just sleep, okay, Kurokocchi?" Kuroko looks up at him, surprise apparent in his eyes. "Are you sure, Kise-kun?"

"Of course," Kise smiles, ruffling Kuroko's hair. "I really don't mind. I can even make you breakfast when I get back."

"No, walking Nigou is more than enough, Kise-kun. I do not want you burning the house down."

"Oh, Kurokocchi is such a meanie~" Kise hops out of bed, narrowly missing a jab to the side from Kuroko, and starts getting dressed while he hums cheerfully to himself. "Nigoucchi wave bye to Kurokocchi!" Kuroko watches from the bed, propped up on his elbows, as Kise waves the puppy's paw at Kuroko. Kise tries not to notice that Kuroko is wearing one of his shirts, so it sags down to reveal his left shoulder adorably. He hurries out of the house while deftly putting on Nigou's leash like a pro.

Kuroko stays where he is for a moment after the door shuts, contemplating whether he can stay in bed or not, and finally gets up with a sigh.

Kise cheerfully trots down the street, his happy expression matching Nigou's. Being with Kuroko- even if it's just cuddling him while he sleeps- is more than he ever thought he would get, and it's not fair of him to exhaust the boy too much just because he's missed him so much. Then he feels his cellphone buzz in his pocket.

**From:**Kurokocchi  
**To: **Kise-kun

I will have breakfast ready by the time you get back, so do not buy anything.

Kise smiles widely down at the screen before tapping out a reply and backspacing and repeating this for enough times that Nigou is straining at his leash.

**From:**Kise-kun  
**To: **Kurokocchi

Thank you, Kurokocchi; I love you (~^u^)~

Kise shoves his phone back in his pocket, not expecting another reply, but doesn't get more than five feet before his phone is buzzing again.

**From:**Kurokocchi  
**To: **Kise-kun

I love you too

And so Kise promptly turns around and drags Nigou back home, humming happily and hoping he catches Kuroko while he's still got an apron on. The whole domestic thing drives Kise crazy.

.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ooh, Kurokocchi, I like this one!" Kise points at a picture of a spacious, modern apartment, smiling like a little kid about to get a new toy. Kuroko nods and glances at the description. "That one is very expensive, Kise-kun."

Money isn't exactly a problem- what with the endless amount of modeling jobs Kise gets _and _he gets a nice salary as a pro basketball player _and_he's started getting acting jobs- but Kuroko always feels vaguely uncomfortable when they spend vast quantities of money. His job at the preschool didn't exactly pay well and sometimes he felt like he was taking advantage of Kise's money.

"Aw, Kurokocchi, don't worry about money! I'll buy you anything you want!" Kise says like he's offering to buy Kuroko something as inexpensive as his favorite vanilla milkshake; he certainly doesn't sound like a man about to spend tons of money on an apartment for him and his boyfriend. Kise nuzzles his face against Kuroko's neck, easily pulling the smaller male into his lap, while Kuroko surveys the other options the real estate agent picked out for them. Thankfully, she left the room so they could discuss their options, so there's no audience to Kise's physical affection. Kuroko doesn't approve of doing stuff like that in public; it's not so much out of embarrassment or shame as it is about not wanting to make people uncomfortable. He would feel the same if he was with a girl. Kissing and such is a thing to do in the privacy of your own home, not outside in front of the whole world.

Kise, however, has no such qualms.

Kuroko tries to focus on looking at the pictures while Kise nips at his ear and grabs both his hands, intertwining their fingers and sighing contentedly; getting to hold his Kurokocchi is always a dream come true for him. "So, Kurokocchi," Kise's breath is hot on his ear as he leans over Kuroko's shoulder to peer at the other options. "Which do you like?"

Kuroko's gaze settles on one of the few houses in the assortment; it's less expensive, is in a nice neighborhood, has three bedrooms, and is in a nice school district. "I like that one." Kuroko points at it and he can hear a soft tsk of disapproval. "Kurokocchi, I told you not to worry about prices!"

"I am not, Kise-kun," he explains calmly. "I just believe that is the best option for when we decide to have children."

Holy. Mother. Of. God.

Kise freezes for a moment, completely dumbfounded by Kuroko's answer. Then, his mind starts churning up images.

A tiny boy with Kuroko's eyes and his gold hair in Kuroko's arms, both of them smiling adorably.

Kuroko helping the boy button up his uniform.

Kuroko in a frilly white apron carefully preparing a bento while Kise hugs him from behind while the boy messily eats his breakfast.

The little boy on Kise's shoulders and Kuroko holding Kise's hand at a festival.

Kise teaching the little boy how to play basketball while Kuroko watches, occasionally hitting Kise on the head for saying something stupid, which will make the little boy giggle about how daddy made mommy angry again.

The little boy all grown up, surrounded by girls because he inherited his dad's good looks and charm.

Kuroko dressing up a baby in a onesie and putting a cap on his little head.

"Um, excuse me, I think we've made our decision," Kise calls out, snatching up the picture. "Oh, good, which did you pick?" the woman inquires.

"This one! I definitely want this one!"

Kuroko hides a smile behind his hand as Kise practically bounces with happiness as he imagines who knows what.

_Kise-kun can be quite silly sometimes._


	4. Chapter 4

"Stalker." Momoi announces loudly while leveling a finger at Kise's face. "I don't want you corrupting my Tetsu-kun."

Kise sputters for a moment, trying to formulate some kind of indignant reply, while Kasamatsu, playing the part of an innocent spectator, just sighs. "Go easy on him; he's got it bad for that kid."

"Senpai!" The betrayed look on Kise's face almost made Kasamatsu feel bad.

Almost.

"I don't see what the big deal is. Stop being a brat and just tell the kid how you feel already. Although, he'd have to be a complete idiot to have not figured it out by now," Kasamatsu scratches the back of his head casually, like he didn't just totally sell Kise out. "True, you have been pretty obvious." Momoi sighs; she looks surprisingly glum at the reaffirmation that Kise likes Kuroko for real and isn't just playing with him.

"N-no, I haven't! He always assumes I'm joking!" That last part is kind of annoying because every time Kise tries to ask him out, Kuroko tells him to stop being silly. It seems impossible to convince the boy that he really does like him like that, which might be a good thing, because Kuroko might not like him that way and he might even be disgusted that Kise likes boys, although it's not so much boys in general as that one boy in particular and Kuroko has never seemed like the judgmental type about that kind of thing. Kuroko just doesn't seem to condone public displays of affection, whether it be a man and a man or a man and a woman or a woman and a woman.

"Maybe he realizes you're not and he just pretends you are because he doesn't feel the same," Momoi suggests, perking up at the idea that her Tetsu-kun could still be hers for the taking. "Don't bother deluding yourself. That kid is about as straight as a circle; if it's not Kise, he's got to be into that redhead or maybe that monster ace from Touou." Kasamatsu sips his drink casually as though he, Momoi, and Kise aren't have a conversation about Kuroko's sexual orientation in Maji Burger- one of his favorite hang outs. He could appear at any moment. Then, Kise would die from embarrassment.

"You don't know that for sure!"

"Are you saying he's been fine with your advances?"

"Maybe he's just a late bloomer!"

"I think it's a lesser of evils here; Kise or one of those giants? At least Kise is kind of feminine."

"Senpai, that's so mean!"

Momoi lets out a low groan of annoyance and drops her head on her folded arms. "I'm sure I'll totally regret telling you to do this," she sighs, her voice muffled by her arms. "But, if you want Tetsu-kun to take you seriously, you've got to do something serious. And I don't mean some weird, grand, romantic gesture, which is what I'm sure you'd do, but something more along the lines of, I don't know, a kiss? A kiss and a confession, nothing more."

"Really, Momoicchi? You think he'll take me seriously then?" The excitement in his voice makes her groan again, feeling bad for selling out her Tetsu-kun; she knew he wanted Kise to figure out what to do on his own, but, God, that boy is dense. She knows she's the only person- besides perhaps Kagami- that Tetsu told about his feelings for Kise, and that's mostly because he didn't want her to feel bad about him rejecting her confession; he felt she deserved an explanation.

_Tetsu-kun deserves so much better than this dimwit. But, the heart wants what the heart wants._"Yeah, I'm sure he will. Right now, he should be one his way here with Kagami after practice. You could go meet him halfway, get him to take a walk with you, and confess. It might be harder if you wait any longer. Kagami might snatch him up." _Wow, Satsuki, you're really committed to BSing your way through this, aren't you?_

"G-got it!" Kise practically climbs over Kasamatsu to get out of the booth, apologizes frantically to his senpai, and rushes out of the restaurant to find his Kurokocchi. "I'll admit he's kind of stupid," Kasamatsu drawls as Momoi finally picks up her head. "But he wouldn't hurt him. You shouldn't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried about him hurting Tetsu-kun," Momoi sighs, pulling her long pink hair back into a high ponytail. "I'm more worried about how hard Kuroko's going to make it for him to confess. He can be a bit of a sadist sometimes, especially since he's been waiting for Kise to figure things out for so long. Even someone as patient as him doesn't like being forced to wait around for an obtuse idiot like Kise."

Kagami saunters into Maji Burger, settling at the table with him after ordering his inhuman amount of food. "Lemme guess, you told him, didn't you, Momoi?"

The girl shrugs, frowning at the way the returnee speaks while eating. "It's better this way; he probably won't do something too stupid this way."

"That's a matter of perspective," Kasamatsu interjects before stealing one of Kagami's burgers, earning him an enraged "oi!".


	5. Chapter 5

"Kasamatsu-kun," Kasamatsu grunts in acknowledgement. "Could you perhaps detach Kise-kun from me?"

The said blond has glommed himself onto the shorter, blue-haired boy, which has to be uncomfortable considering the height difference and everything, but he seems perfectly content to just rub his cheek on the top of Kuroko's head and mutter how cute Kuroko is and did he know he smelled like vanilla and so on and so on.

"I, um, am not sure that's such a good idea," Kasamatsu looks away from the boys, rubbing the back of his head nervously, because Kise actually looks pretty damn scary at the moment what with the Death Glare he's giving Kasamatsu. Usually, Kasamatsu would just kick the blond in the face and maybe lecture him for awhile about personal space, but after a not-so-great week, he's obviously not about to have his cuddling time with Kuroko taken away. "Sorry, Tetsuya."

"Ne, senpai," Kasamatsu grudgingly meets Kise's gaze. "When did you start calling Kurokocchi by his first name?"

"Kise-kun, you should not be so jealous."

The blond and brunette look at the blue-haired boy, who's apparently given up on detaching himself from the taller boy and has instead started reading a book while walking, which is kind of dangerous, but whatever. At this point, Kise would probably kill or destroy anything that tries to injure Kuroko- including an uneven area of the sidewalk.

"Kurokocchi, I wouldn't be jealous if other people weren't calling you by your first name, would I?"

"But that is rude of Kise-kun to be jealous when he gets mad at me for being jealous about fangirls."

"Ne, Kurokocchi gets jealous?~" The annoyance and frustration of the past week seems to suddenly disappear at the thought of Kuroko being jealous of fangirls hanging all over Kise. The uncharacteristic metaphorical dark cloud hanging above Kise's head dissipates, and he's back to being an over excited puppy; Kasamatsu can practically see a golden retriever's tall wagging behind him. Although, if Kise's a peppy golden retriever, Kuroko would be an amused-yet-distant cat. The difference in personalities is obvious, but they seem to work well together.

"Why would I not be jealous of other people in love with my boyfriend?"

"E-eh! Boyfriend?"

"Are you saying you are not my boyfriend, Kise-kun?"

"N-no, of course not! I just meant..."

Kasamatsu listens to the banter, wondering why he's stupid enough to agree to come along with Kise to see Kuroko and answering his own question. _If that idiot didn't have me to look out for him, he'd be totally screwed. _Kasamatsu gives himself a mental pat on the back and decides that being Kise's friend has to come with earning a lifetime's supply of good karma for dealing with the brat. And that's brat in the most endearing way possible.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey there, senpai." Kise smiles widely at his friend, who grouses out a "don't call me senpai anymore, you brat".

"Aw, but Yukio, aren't you the one always telling me to respect my elders?" Kise gazes pointedly at Kasamatsu's graying hair, which earns him a light swat on the head. "Oi, you aren't lookin' too good yourself, brat; don't act like you're such a sight for sore eyes anymore." Which is true. Kise hasn't been in the public eye for a long while now; the modeling and basketball and acting gave out around his mid-forties and he'd been content to coach high school basketball and volunteer as a firefighter until he was too old for even that.

"How's Momoicchi?" Kise inquires, pointedly eyeing the wedding band on his friend's ring finger; Kasamatsu and Momoi's marriage was unexpected to say the least. The whole mess of a relationship between Kise and Kuroko in high school brought them together as friends, but their romantic relationship didn't begin until two years after university when Kasamatsu was working his way through the ranks of the police force and Momoi was an employee of Akashi's family's company. They eloped after three months of dating, popped out three adorable children, and had been happily married ever since.

"As lively as ever; she's been coaching Tamaki in basketball recently. Fights constantly with Tetsumi though." Kasamatsu shakes his head with a what-can-you-do shrug; Momoi and their daughter Tetsumi never seemed to see eye to eye.

"Ah, that sounds like Momoicchi."

"What about Kuroko? How's he?"

Kise flashes a lopsided smile. "Not too good, actually. He finally agreed to go to the doctor- being the stubborn mule that he is- but they don't seem too optimistic."

"Sorry, Kise." Kasamatsu slings an arm around his friend. "But that stubborn brat doesn't seem like the type to give up easy. Don't worry yourself too much."

Kise is definitely thankful for his friend's optimism, but he knows the truth; there's not long left. They're all old, in their late seventies, early eighties, and the feeling of immortality that comes with youth is long gone. Thankfully, they all ended up happy: Kagami and Aomine got together after years of fake hatred, Midorima and Takao stopped the on-again-off-again with a definite on a few decades back, Akashi and Atsushi both married a set of gorgeous twins that they seem to like as much as they ever like anybody, and Kise had even heard that Hyuuga and Rika got hitched when they were thirty something. And Kise doesn't regret a thing in his life, but that doesn't make him any less sad about how short it feels looking back.

Kise chats for a while longer with his old friend, laughing at each other's jokes, swapping stories about grandkids, generally enjoying each others' presence until they have to leave. "Bye, senpai." Kise chuckles as he saunters down the sidewalk, imagining his friend shaking a fist at his back, looking his age.

Kise twists the wedding ring on his finger, losing himself in memories on the walk back home.

"Eh! Why are Bakagami and Ahomine here?" Kise whines; even though they bought the house almost two months ago, his modeling and basketball schedule made it too hectic too move in any sooner. "Kise-kun, you should not be so rude. They are our guests."

Kise pouts for a while longer, but more out of principal than anything. Having the two monsters around is nice considering the vast quantity of boxes that need to be moved out of the moving van and into the designated rooms; Kuroko spent the past two days labeling boxes and organizing everything and planning it all out so the most difficult part is just physically getting the boxes inside.

The house is nice and big but not too big and nice but not outrageously expensive and just all around perfect, to be honest. The architecture is a combination of traditional Japanese and modern Western, which makes it look quaint and homey, and Kise can imagine little kids running around in the front yard and toys littering the floor of the living room. His mind has been preoccupied with the idea of future children since Kuroko suggested it; one boy and one girl would be nice, but it has to be two, no matter the genders. Of course, in his fantasies the children look like him and Kuroko, which isn't exactly realistic, but, hey, a guy can dream.

Nigou frolics around the house, freaking the crap out of Kagami and making Aomine laugh his butt off; the dog apparently approves of the new house.

After dinner, which Kagami helps Kuroko cook while Kise watches Aomine watch Kagami, Kuroko thanks the two and they leave the couple to finish unpacking or sleep or whatever in their new house. Kise turns to Kuroko, who stands beside him on the porch, waving at Kagami as he and Aomine loudly discuss something.

"Well, now that they're gone..." Kise unceremoniously scoops Kuroko up, one hand underneath his shoulders, the other under his knees, so quickly that the boy doesn't have a chance to struggle as Kise presses a soft kiss on his lips. "It's time to christen the new house!"

And so they did.

In every single room.

Although, it took quite a while since Kuroko needed long naps after each session. And Kise happily watched his boyfriend, his Kurokocchi, his soulmate, the love of his life, as he slept on the floor of their bedroom in his arms. _Kurokocchi really has spoiled me _, he thinks dreamily before drifting off to sleep himself.

"Ne, Kurokocchi," Kise traces imaginary patterns on his lover's back, smiling faintly to himself. It's been four months since they moved in, one week since Kise got back from a particularly long trip, and a tiny box is burning a hole in the pocket of the pants Kise dumped on the floor a few hours prior. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Kise-kun." It's a soft sigh and Kise can hear the exhaustion in Kuroko's voice, which really does things to him, but he tries to focus on the task at hand.

"Ne, Kurokocchi."

There's silence for a moment as Kuroko waits for him to continue.

"Yes, Kise-kun?"

Kise continues to draw on Kuroko's back, softly tracing a heart repeatedly.

"You know I love you, right, Kuroko?"

Kuroko opens his eyes and gazes up at Kise, startled that Kise dropped the -cchi from his name; he only does that when it's something serious. "Of course, Kise-kun. And I love you." He keeps a questioning gaze on Kise, wondering where this conversation could possibly be going.

"We've been together a while, you know?"

"I am aware."

Kise smiles again. His golden eyes bore into Kuroko's, full of nervousness and excitement and love and happiness.

"Close your eyes for a minute, okay, Kurokocchi? Don't worry; I won't do anything perverted." He quickly says the last part, afraid Kuroko will refuse.

"Okay." So Kuroko squeezes his eyes shut, assuring himself that it can't be anything too bad if Kise's using the -cchi again.

Kise creeps off the bed and carefully slips the box out of his discarded pants' pocket. It's one of those black jewelry ring boxes that the guy always whips out just in time for the proposal in all the romantic comedies; once you see that box, you know what's coming next. Kise flips the lid open, keeping his back to Kuroko in case he cheats and opens his eyes. A small gold ring is nestled inside. He doesn't inspect it closely, but he knows the words engraved inside the ring by heart: _be mine forever, Kuroko Tetsuya _. He'd really tried to think of something original and romantic but nothing fit quite as well as that.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Kuroko's light blue eyes flick straight to the box.

"Kuroko Tetsuya," Kise whispers from where he's kneeling beside the bed. "Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

"I'm home~" Kise calls as he enters the house, dropping his bag by the door just as he's assaulted by Hikaru. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" he giggles like Kise's arrival was the most delightful event of his day. He waddles around on chubby, toddler legs, always wobbling, always close to falling, but that doesn't keep him from running and tackling his dad. Well, tackling his dad's leg.

"Hey, kiddo! Where's mommy?" Kise asks cheerfully, picking up Hikaru and balancing him against his waist.

"Ryouta, I would very much appreciate if you didn't encourage our son to call me mommy."

Kise smiles at his adorable, charming Tetsuya. There's a paint smear on his cheek and his clothes are messy and his hair is ruffled because Hikaru has decided that Kuroko's hair is the most magical thing since crayons and is constantly running his hands through the soft sky blue locks.

"Aw, but you're such a cute mommy, Tetsuya."

Hikaru squirms in his arms, reaching for Kuroko, making small whining noises. _Yeah, I know how you feel kid _, Kise runs his fingers through the boy's hair, which is blond like his, and notes once again how perfectly matched the little boy is for Kise and Kuroko. Even though he isn't biologically theirs, he very well could be with his light blue eyes, pale skin, and golden hair. Kise is positive the kid's going to grow up to be a heartthrob, just like his dad.

"Welcome home, Ryouta." Kuroko presses a soft kiss on Kise's lips, causing the idiot to break into a huge grin.

"Aw, my Tetsuyacchi is just the cutest!" That earns him a flick on the forehead, but it's definitely worth it.

"Hey, dad." Kise glances up as Hikaru approaches. "Hey, kiddo, what's up?"

"Nothing really," he shrugs, running a hand through his messy blond hair.

"Hm. Is it a girl?"

The immediate reddening of his son's cheeks reveal the truth even as he sputters out that that's not true.

"You know, just because your mom is a boy it doesn't mean I don't know how to pick up girls. I was quite the lady killer in my day, if I do say so myself."

"Don't worry, Hikaru, that's just your father's wishful thinking." Kuroko interjects as he ghosts through with their daughter, Megumi, hot on his heels. At age ten, she thinks Kuroko is pretty much the epitome of amazing and follows him around like an adorable little duckling with an old Nigou trailing behind cheerfully. "Don't listen to Tetsuya, he's just jealous. He never did like my fangirls."

"Ryouta, do not fill our son's head with lies," But the slight quirk of his lips betrays him, and Hikaru chuckles at his parent's banter. "It's cool, dad. If I need advice, I'll come to you, but I think I've got it for now." Kuroko perches on the arm of Kise's chair while Megumi climbs into Kise's lap, her long black hair in pigtails and gold eyes trained on her older brother. Megumi is more like Kuroko while Hikaru is more like Kise, at least, according to their friends.

"Aw, look at daddy's little girl, growing up so fast," Kise nuzzles his face in her hair, chuckling when Megumi asks Kuroko to make him stop; she definitely takes after Kuroko.

Kise sinks into a chair beside the bed, relieved that Kuroko is still asleep, sky blue hair long ago turned white. His breathing is labored and Kise holds his husband's hand gently, stroking his ring finger where the wedding ring is. "This isn't forever, Kurokocchi," he whispers softly. "There's more; there has to be more. Maybe not here, but somewhere we have a lot more for us," Kise lets his other hand trace his Kurokocchi's beautiful face.

"Maybe we'll reincarnate as neighbors, get to grow up together, fall in love all over again. I know I'll fall for you again, no matter what; I think I'd recognize you anywhere, Tetsuya. So, don't worry about me, okay? Because this isn't forever. You don't have to be sad. We have more, lots more, tons more, forever and ever. And, for all that time, you're mine. Forever, remember?" His thumb strokes his husband's cheek. He can feel tears welling in his eyes. Kise lets out a shaky breath. "I know it's going to hurt, when you're gone, and I've always been selfish enough to hope that no one would go first; it would be us together. But it won't be, I see that, and I won't do anything dumb to screw things up for the rest of forever, so I'll stay here. I'll look out for Megumi and Hikaru. I'll make sure Ahomine and Bakagami don't kill each other; I'll keep Momoi and Kasamatsu happy. And then, when that's done, I'll follow you to the rest of forever.

"Oh, I know, how about this? You go first and become a teacher and then I'll be your student. It'll be epic and romantic and super hot." The tears are flowing, hot and heavy. He can feel Tetsuya's breathing slowing. "I love you, Tetsuya. And you're the reason for everything good in my life. And this isn't forever; it's just the beginning. We have the rest of forever to find each other again and again and again. Okay? I promise."

And then the breathing just stops.

"What's wrong, Kise-kun?" Kise glances up to see his boyfriend watching him curiously, forgetting his math homework for the moment.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about a dream I had."

"Ah. Was it a good dream?"

"Yes. I would say it was a very good dream."

_This isn't forever; it's just the beginning._


	7. Chapter 7

Kuroko has his nose firmly in a textbook, periodically jotting down a note and making I'm-Totally-Smart-and-Understand-This-All noises, while Kise watches him from underneath his eyelashes; _Kurokocchi looks so cute when he's studying._

"Kise-kun, please focus on your own work; it is rude to stare." Kuroko mentions casually like he's commenting on the weather and not Kise's increasingly stalkerish behavior, although, whose fault is it _really_ that Kise spends all his free time thinking about Kuroko and worrying about whether he's eating enough- which is always an issue because he just doesn't _eat_ like a normal teenage boy- or whether he's happy or is he doing well in classes. _Stupid Aominecchi! He doesn't even know how lucky he is to be in Kurokocchi's class_ and thoughts like that just keep making himall pouty and depressed because if Kuroko was going to like anyone it would obviously be Aomine, the idiot, or maybe Momoi, even though Kuroko's never seemed into her advances, but you know Kuroko doesn't seem like the type to enjoy that kind of-

"Kise-kun," Kuroko says sternly, his eyes flicking up from the book to pin Kise with a glare, "please do not make me repeat myself. You're making me uncomfortable."

"S-sorry!" _Aw crap I totally tuned out the whole 'stop staring' part! Kurokocchi probably hates me now!_

While in Kuroko's head: _he's still staring. Doesn't he have homework or something? Whatever. Back to history. Why did he even _come_to the library if he wasn't going to study? That's kind of the purpose of libraries. Ugh. Study._

Finally- FINALLY- Kise's eyes drift down to his notebook and he sets to working on math while pouting like a spoiled child who didn't get the toy he wanted; not exactly the most attractive expression on the model's face. A few girls in the surrounding tables- okay, more like everyone else in the library, _including_ the old librarian who's married with children- are admiring Kise's face, whispering excitedly even though he's exuding a pretty obvious aura of depression. But- hey!- his sad face is still attractive, but in a more sad and depressing way? Maybe? Or maybe it's just 'cause he's hot. All the time.

Whatever.

Kuroko glances at the clock. _I should probably head home now. _He looks back at Kise and his face almost twitches into an expression of shock when he sees the boy slumped over the table, sighing loudly.

_He's so childish._

Kuroko sighs. Contemplates. Decides against it. Looks back at Kise. Contemplates again. Then decides he's feeling generous today.

"Kise-kun?" The boy in question jerks his head up, expression excited like a puppy. "Yes, Kurokocchi?"

"It's getting late," Kuroko says slowly as he tucks his books safely into his bag. "But I would like to get a vanilla milkshake on my way home. Would you like to come?"

The way Kise's face lights up makes Kuroko feel guilty; maybe he should go easier on the team's newest member. Just because he's annoying and loud and too touchy feely doesn't mean he's a bad person. Aomine-kun is known to be annoying, and he's Kuroko's best friend. Even Momoi-san can be a little... frustrating. Maybe he should cut the model a break. Occasionally.

"Really? Yay, yes, of course!" Kuroko can't help the small smile he gets when he sees Kise frantically shove his stuff in his bag, dropping things and hitting his knee on the chair and otherwise making a complete idiot of himself.

Maybe he's not so bad after all.

He's entertaining at least.


	8. Chapter 8

Kise's cheerfully chasing one of his friends around the playground, laughing and shrieking "I'm gonna get you", while his mom chats with the other moms; sometimes he thinks she might have had a child just for the purpose of joining all the things you join when you have a kid. She's the leader of all the pesky crusades to fix up school buildings and raise money for new things and bake sales- oh does that woman love bake sales.

But, anyway, Kise is chasing the other kids around as they play a game that vaguely resembles tag but isn't when he catches sight of a kid walking towards the playground all alone.

He skids to a stop, abruptly abandoning the game, although none of the other kids really mind; they all come and go as they please. And it's not as though any of them is his _best_ friend; he's yet to acquire one of those. Sure, a lot of the other kids would be happy to hang out with him, everyone enjoys his sunny disposition and he's always picked first when they're playing kickball because he's the fastest, but he doesn't feel a strong bond with any of them. Even the ones he has playdates with- although those are more his mom's doing than his.

The lone kid continues to walk down the sidewalk and Kise slowly approaches him to get a closer look- _his hair is weird_, he thinks. The other boy's hair is messy and the color of the sky. _He looks like a vampire or something._ The boy's skin is so pale it's almost blinding. His eyes are a darker blue than his hair and his face is set in a blank expression. Kise can see that his knees have Band-Aids on them, which isn't exactly unusual except for how _many_ there are- it seems like he falls a _lot_.

"Hi there!" Kise smiles widely. The boy blinks at him, face still blank.

"I'm Kise Ryouta. Who are you?"

The boy squints up at him, nearly a head shorter than Kise, and frowns slightly. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Nice to meet you, Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko's frown deepens and he furrows his eyebrows. "Kurokocchi?"

"Mmhm, I add -cchi to the end of people's names."

"Oh."

The boy looks around the playground, seeming almost shocked at where he is.

"Where's your parents, Kurokocchi?" Kise asks, rocking back and forth on his feet, arms behind his back, hyper and wanting to go back to the game but too intrigued by the blue-haired boy to leave now.

"They're at work. I was with my grandma at the market."

That makes Kise frown; this boy's mom works? How weird. All his friends' moms stay at home to take care of them.

"Well then where's your grandma?"

Kuroko makes a face. "I'm not sure. I got lost."

_Lost?_ Kise stares at the boy incredulously; he doesn't seem like someone who's lost. The one time Kise got lost in a store while his mom was busy trying on maternity clothes before his little sister was born, he was bawling like a baby and didn't stop until one of the saleswomen found his mom for him. Maybe the boy doesn't have to cry over it, but he barely seems upset.

"You don't look like you're lost." Kise says, and it comes out as more of an accusation than intended, but the boy's calm demeanor is surprising considering the situation.

Kuroko shrugs halfheartedly. "I get lost a lot."

"That's not good. Getting lost isn't fun."

Another shrug. "I don't mind. I get to meet a lot of people."

Kise ponders the situation for a moment, eyeing the blue-haired boy. "I know! How 'bout you play with me, and then if your grandma hasn't found you by the time I have to go, my mom and me help look for her?"

"Okay."

Kise bends over, breathing hard, giggling as Kuroko plops down on a bench, looking even more winded after their game of tag. The boy's face is flushed and his blue hair is even more messy, sticking straight up in places, and his eyes are wide with something like excitement and Kise can't help but think Kuroko looks cute like a girl. He's small and fragile-looking like a girl, too, but he plays like a boy. He's also loads more fun than any of Kise's other friends.

_Kuroko would make a really good best friend_, he thinks.

"Oh, Tetsuya! There you are; I've been looking everywhere for you." A woman with the same pale blue hair- albeit with a few streaks of white- calls, rushing over to Kise's new friend. "You should really stop wandering off like that! It's dangerous!" Although she doesn't seem too concerned, which makes Kuroko's story of getting lost a lot seem more believable.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, sobo*." Kuroko says sincerely. Kise watches as the old woman ruffles his new friend's hair and then turns to him with a smile.

"You made a new friend I see." she bends down so she's eye level with Kise. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tetsuya's grandmother, Sadako. Thank you for taking care of my grandson." The woman smiles at him, a wide, kind smile, and Kise blushes slightly.

"It was my pleasure, ma'am."

Sadako chuckles and pats his head. "No need to be so formal. I'm not _that_ old, no matter what Tetsuya says." she pauses for a moment, looking at how low the sun is in the sky. "But I suppose Tetsuya and I should be going now. Same for you, little one."

Of course, at that moment, Kise's mom calls out to him. "Coming, mom!" he calls back. His little sister Riku is already asleep in her arms.

"Bye, Kise-kun." Tetsuya waves slightly as his grandmother herds him away.

"Bye, Kurokocchi! Come play with me again, okay?"

"Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

_Kurokocchi is the cutest preschool teacher ever~_, Kise peers at his boyfriend from behind a tree (because obviously being behind a tree makes him invisible) in a totally not stalker-ish way. What guy wouldn't lie about the time he returns from a long trip to his boyfriend so that he can spy on said boyfriend at his job?

Anyways, the kids are outside on the playground, running around and squealing and shrieking, while a couple are clustered around Kuroko for various reasons- a skinned knee, an untied shoe, a pretty flower they found- and Kuroko is currently bent down redoing the velcro straps of one kid's shoe, smiling sweetly as another kid, a little girl with her short brown hair in cute pigtails, waves a stick she found that has a perfectly shaped leaf on it in front of his face. His hair is a mess, there's a smudge of green on his left cheek, and one of his hands is bandaged from a most unfortunate accident with a hot glue gun, but Kuroko looks happy, surrounded by tons of energetic little monsters.

_Hey, does that mean Kurokocchi's going to want us to have a kid soon?_ Kise thinks dreamily, repositioning his sunglasses (which obviously keep anybody from recognizing him; God, and he acts like Midorima is stupid for wearing those dumb glasses) on his face.

Slowly, his thought sinks in.

_A kid._

A kid.

Like a living, breathing, little person.

That you have to feed and dress and provide for.

Could Kise take care of a little kid?

What if the kid hated him?

What if he's bad at changing diapers or feeding him or, you know, that other stuff babies need?

Would it even be a baby?

Would they get like an older little person, like a toddler?

Does Kuroko even like babies?

Babies aren't the same as preschool kids, are they?

What if Kuroko doesn't like babies?

By this point, Kise is crouched down and close to hyperventilating (for no real reason) and Kuroko has herded the children back inside to be picked up by their parents. _This is so scary! What if I can't-?_

"Kise-kun."

Kise jerks to the side, falls on his butt, and stares shocked up at his boyfriend (because his panic attack has taken a long, _long_ time and he missed his chance to surprise his adorable boyfriend at his job like he'd been planning to do), who has crouched down beside him, worry apparent on his face.

"Are you alright? Are you not feeling well?" Kuroko carefully reaches over and presses the back of his hand on Kise's forehead, frowning.

"You're not running a temperature-?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Kurokocchi, really, there's nothing wrong. No need to worry!"

"Then why was Kise-kun crouching and whimpering?"

"I was not whimpering! I was, um, just, you know..." he trails off, averting eye contact, scowling.

"I was just thinking, you know, if you want a kid, we could get one- but aren't we a little young to be parents? I mean, we could wait a while, like a year, or ten and I mean it's not like there won't be any then but if you want one _now_ we can get one now, but like what kind of kid do you want? Ugh, what am I even saying, like do you just get a kid, like they arbitrarily bestow one upon a couple, like the tooth fairy but instead of coins and teeth it's kids and nothing? And what about-"

"Kise-kun, calm down. I don't want a child right now."

"But, you look so happy with your students..."

"Of course, I like working with children. That's why my job is working with children."

"So you don't-?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

The relief is immediately apparent on Kise's face, but is quickly replaced with worry. "Not that I don't want us to have a kid-,"

"I know, Kise-kun. You don't have to explain."

A small smile settles on Kuroko's lips, making him about ten times more adorable, and he reaches out and ruffles Kise's hair affectionately.

"You shouldn't worry yourself over nothing, baka."


	10. Kise Wakes Up to Someone Else in His Bed

"Mm, Kurokocchi, stop," Kise mumbles as his boyfriend nuzzles his neck, sky blue hair tickling the exposed skin.

"Kurokocchi, that tickles..." he whines. The other boy continues to rub himself on Kise's neck, softly licking the line of his collarbone.

"Tetsuya~," Then Kuroko's wet nose bumps his chin and-

Wait.

Wet nose?

Kise cracks his eyes open and does _not_ find a mass of messy, sky blue hair floating above a face with a seemingly blank expression.

Instead, he finds a black and white puppy with azure blue eyes identical to his boyfriend's.

_Oh._ "Nigoucchi, it's you. I forgot, Kurokocchi is on that trip, isn't he?" Kuroko had to go to some week-long seminar the second week of summer vacation for some teacher thingie, so Kise is, for once, the one left alone in the house with Nigou (because Kuroko's hotel was very strict about not sneaking in dogs). "Arf, arf!" Nigou rubs himself all over Kise's face, excited to not be the only one awake, before jumping out of bed and racing to his water bowl, almost sliding into the wall when his paws lose purchase on the hardwood floors for a moment before he regains balance.

And that is the one time Kise wakes up next to someone in his bed who isn't Kuroko.


	11. Chapter 11

Kuroko ghosts through the aisles of the video rental store, eyeing the wide selection of romantic comedies and over-the-top dramas, but not stopping until he's firmly in the middle of the horror section. Normally, when he and Kise watch a movie, it's the newest chick flick or they have a marathon of some slice of life drama Kise likes but hasn't had the time to catch up on; Kise has trouble handling more serious movies. He was a blubbering mess when they watched _The Vow_, sobbing about how sad, sad, _sad_ it was because they were so _perfect_ for each other and why did she have to forget _him_, and Kuroko just rubbed soothing circles on his back while Nigou licked the tears off his face for an hour after until Kise calmed down enough for them to go to bed.

Kuroko is _not_ in the mood for that.

It's not like he _hates_ those movies; he just doesn't become quite as attached to the characters as Kise does, and while the whole premise is sad, he doesn't feel the need to sob for hours afterward with a box of tissues and a playlist of sad songs.

If Kuroko had to pick a genre he liked, it would probably be horror.

Not so much because he enjoys the excessive gore or the various masked killers, but because he finds people's reactions to the movies amusing; Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun being the best victims. Countless times, after Kagami and Aomine exhausted themselves with a one-on-one that, for some reason, Kuroko had to be present for, the three would go back to Kagami's and Aomine's apartment to hang out (they moved in together after high school, Aomine insisting it was because it was for the food and Kagami insisting it was for the rent money) and Kuroko would suggest watching a horror movie.

He would always find one that somehow combined the worst fears of the Two Idiots- ghosts and dolls- and enjoyed watching them try to be manly and not show their terror. So, maybe Kuroko was a little sadistic, but their reactions were _hilarious_; watching the two monsters transform into scared little kids at the sight of a rag doll apparently possessed by Satan is enough to make Kuroko excuse himself so he can laugh until he tears up in the bathroom.

Of course, at some point, one or the other would accidentally yelp and then the other would tease him and then it would become a yelling match that allowed Kuroko to slip out undetected because Kagami admitted to him once that sometimes these arguments would end in something that Kuroko might not want to witness unless he was into the whole voyeurism thing, which is _way_ too much information, but Kuroko was grateful for the warning so he wouldn't have to deal with watching the two aces go at it because they forgot he was there.

Kuroko paws through the newest additions, frowning when he sees that most of them involve aliens or baby-tooth-eating monsters, and wonders if he should go with something he _knows_ his boyfriend is afraid of, like _The Grudge_ or _The Ring_. Kise does well with horror movies when there are lots of other people; in a theater or with Aomine and Kagami or the Generation of Miracles, he can handle horror movies. Probably because he doesn't want to seem like a scaredy cat in public- bad for his image and all that. But, at home, alone with Kuroko, Kise can barely watch the movie. He likes to hide his face in Kuroko's hair and hold his boyfriend as close to him as possible. Kuroko doesn't mind in the least; he thinks scared Kise is incredibly adorable (although he'd never admit it) and it gives him a good excuse for cuddling without having to express interest in cuddling because Kise would probably go on about that for _months_.

Kuroko decides on an older movie about playing hide and seek alone (dolls _and_ ghost-ish stuff, he should save it for the next time he hangs out with Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun) and checks out, smiling at the cashier who seems shocked when he appears at the counter.

Kise is lounging on the couch in the living room when Kuroko gets home, cuddling Nigou and watching _Frozen_ for the tenth time. Kuroko pauses in the doorway, watching his boyfriend mouth the words to one of the songs, suppressing a laugh at how his blond hair is pulled up in little pigtails with pink elastics; he was probably visiting with his younger sister today. _At least there's no clown makeup like last time_.

"Kurokocchi! You're back; I missed you," Kise whines, jumping up, and rushing over to envelope his boyfriend in a bear hug, accidentally dumping Nigou on the ground.

"Kise-kun, you're crushing me."

"Oh, sorry, Kurokocchi! What do you have there?"

Kuroko pulls the bag just out of Kise's reach (which is kind of difficult what with Kuroko being the shorter one and all). "A movie."

"What kind of movie?" Kise eyes the bag with excitement.

"You'll see later." Kuroko slides past him, finding Kise's subsequent whining unfairly adorable.

"But Kurokocchi~!"

"Later. I'm going to make dinner now."

"Ooh, can I help? Please? I promise I won't burn anything this time!"

Two hours later, Kuroko and Kise are under a blanket on the couch, Kuroko's back to Kise's front, with Nigou curled up beside Kuroko, watching the movie. Kise's arms are wrapped tight around Kuroko, his face is buried in his boyfriend's sky blue hair, and one of his hands is clutching Kuroko's, squeezing whenever something scares him.

"Wah, so scary~" Kise mumbles, holding his Kurokocchi close.

A bowl of popcorn sits on the coffee table, the special chocolate-covered kind Kise figured out Kuroko liked, and Kuroko reaches out to it, grabs a handful, and shoves half of it into his mouth. His cheeks are puffed up like a chipmunk and there's a smudge of chocolate on his cheek and he looks so completely cute and content that Kise wishes they could stay like that forever. Kuroko carefully holds a piece of popcorn over his shoulder and Kise leans forward, letting his Kurokocchi feed him the rest of the handful, piece by piece, his eyes still glued to the TV.

When Kuroko runs out, Kise grabs the hand he fed him with and licks the chocolate off his fingers before pressing a soft kiss to each of his fingertips. Kuroko's eyes slide from the screen and he turns his head to watch Kise. "Mm, Kurokocchi, you taste good~" Kise cups Kuroko's face and presses a soft kiss to his lips. He pulls back and licks the chocolate off Kuroko's cheek, laughing softly at the small squeak Kuroko lets out at that.

As much as he'd love to continue on this path, Kise decides to settle on running his fingers through his boyfriend's soft, silky, blue hair; Kuroko gives him a small smile and turns back to the TV, snuggling up closer to Kise. As sly as Kuroko seems to think he is, Kise figured out that scary movies mean cuddling a while ago, but he sees no problem in pretending to be scared to give his Kurokocchi an excuse.

"_I love you, Tetsuya_," he mouths against his boyfriend's shoulder and returns his gaze to the movie, whimpering and making soft noises as the doll drags the girl back into a closet, more than happy to indulge his bad-with-asking-for-affection boyfriend.


	12. Confession Rehearsal

**For all the lovelies that have been wanting more KiKuro, here's a fic I wrote as a request from anon on tumblr; enjoy!**

With sweaty palms and burning cheeks, Kise Ryouta- a guy who _literally_ has girls throwing themselves at his feet (although, no one could be exactly sure whether that was intentional, or if the girl actually just fell…)- launches into a fumbling confession to his special person.

"Kurokocchi… I…" _Stay strong, Ryouta! You can do this! It's not a big deal- just, say it! _"Kurokocchi, I like you! Um. I've liked you a lot, for a really long time, actually…" his voice trails off as he rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. _C'mon, you're almost there! Keep going! _"As more than a friend, you know? So, um… would you- ah, would you maybe, um, go out with me sometime? Please?" _Dude, desperate much?_ "I mean, you have to go out with me! Definitely!" _Hello, coming on a little strong, maybe? You sound like you're gonna force yourself on him or something; tone it down. _"I- I mean, it would, um, be really great if you would- ah- maybe, go out with me. I'd be, uh, really happy, if you would." _Good enough._

Kise drags his nervous gaze from his bedsheets to the teddy bear he's been using as a stand-in for Kurokocchi, which stares at him impassively with an expression eerily similar to what he guesses Kurokocchi would look like if he ever actually confessed.

"How was that, Sir Bearington? Good, right? Kurokocchi would totally say yes, don't you think?" He stares hopefully at the stuffed bear. "Of course, Kise, he would definitely say yes," Kise answers his own question in a slightly deeper voice (Sir Bearington's voice). "Thanks, Sir Bearington!" Kise pats the stuffed bear's head and hugs his knees to his chest, face still bright red, biting his lip as he grabs up his cell phone, flicking through his contacts before settling on Kurokocchi's.

"I'm gonna do it right now! Then, I won't lose my nerve! I got this!" Kise's thumb hovers over the CALL button, scrunching his eyebrows together and pouting. _But, what if he says no? What if he says he never wants to see me again? I don't want Kurokocchi to hate me! _"Wah! This is so complicated!" Kise flops back on his bed, dropping the phone and clutching Sir Bearington to his chest. "What am I s'posed to dooooooooooooo?" he wails, sniffling like he's close to crying.

"Just tell him already, little brother!" Naomi, his older sister who introduced him to modeling, announces as she bursts into his bedroom (she was eavesdropping). "Wee-hee!" she squeals as she jumps on him, earning a loud grunt of pain from the blond boy. "Ooh, Sir Bearington. I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Nee-chan, get off! You're hurting meeeeeeeee~" Kise whines from underneath his sister, whose body is crushing his arms against his chest uncomfortably. "Oi, don't be such a baby, Ryouta! Your big sis is going to help you with your problem!" Naomi rolls off him and sits up, flashing a confident smile. "I'll have you confessing to that kid in no time! Don't worry!"

* * *

"Kurokocchi, I really like you, so go out with me!" Kise enthuses, clutching Sir Bearington's paws in his hands.

"Don't be so forward; you might scare him off." His other older sister, Mai, comments without looking up from her book; she joined in on the confession rehearsal thing once she got home from school for the day- Mai is in university, but she opted to live at home because it was less expensive. "Eh? But, Mai, he needs to be assertive! He can't expect a yes if his confession is wimpy!"

"But if he's too forward, he could scare the kid."

"But if he's not forward enough, the kid might think he's joking!"

"True. This is quite an enigma." Mai replies, readjusting her glasses thoughtfully. "Go again, Ryouta."

"Okay…" Kise turns away from his sister's to focus on Sir Bearington's face. "Kurokocchi, I really like you, so would you do me the honor of going out with me?"

"Too gentlemanly!" Naomi caws. "If you're too polite, you're never going to get in his pants!"

"Naomi/Nee-chan!" Naomi's two siblings shriek. Ryouta covers his red face with his hands while Mai thwacks her sister with a thick textbook. "Don't go telling our little brother to sleep around, Naomi!"

"Huh? I wasn't!" Kise's sisters continue fighting about his "purity" while said boy faceplants on the bed with a loud groan and tries to force any and all thoughts of getting in Kurokocchi's pants out of his head. _This is so embarrassing and confusing and- gah! I can't do thisssssssssss! _Kise buries his face in his bed sheets, ignoring the increasing loudness of his sisters' argument, instead thinking about his adorable Kurokocchi. _Does Kurokocchi even like anyone? What if he likes someone else? What if he's dating someone else? Eh, no way! Could he and Kagamicchi be dating?! What about him and Aominecchi? They were always so close in middle school… _Naomi and Mai look over to find their little brother wallowing in depression, making this weird keening noises that are reminiscent of an injured puppy.

"Aw, c'mon, Ryouta! It's okay; we'll get it right!" _Eventually…_

* * *

"I can't do it!"

"Yes, you can!"

"No, I caaaaaaaaaaaan't!"

"Yes, you caaaaaaaaaaan!"

Mai watches as Ryouta and Naomi fight over whether Ryouta can or can't call the person he likes up right now and confess to them. "Ryouta, we've been practicing for _hours_! This is the best you're going to get, and you need to do it before you lose your nerve! Come on; be a man!"

"I don't want to!"

"Ryouta! Come _on_! If you don't do it now, you never will! I thought you really liked this guy?"

"I dooooooooo! Kurokocchi is the best, cutest, most perfect person _ever_!"

"Then call him and confess!"

"Nooooooo! I can't!"

"Gah, whatever, if you aren't going to-"

"It's ringing." Mai interrupts. Kise's cell phone is pressed against her ear, and she carefully holds it out to him. "Don't just hang up. Do it, Ryouta. We're your sisters, and we love you, but you're being a baby right now, and this guy probably doesn't want to date a big baby, right? Stop worrying about it. If he says no, just say it's a joke. Works for me."

_How depressing…_ Naomi and Kise think. "Kise-kun?"

Kuroko's tinny voice emanates from Kise's cell phone, sounding slightly confused as to why Kise is calling him at- _oh, crap!_- midnight. _We've been doing this for hours? Really? _Kise takes the phone from his sister, turning his back on them and pressing it to his ear. "Oh, hi, Kurokocchi! Did I wake you up?"

"…Yes."

"Oh, sorry! Sorry, Kurokocchi, I- um, lost track of time. Sorry."

"It's alright. Did you need something?"

"Oh, yeah, um-" Kise closes his eyes, clutching Sir Bearington against him. "I wanted to ask you something. But I can call back tomorrow, if you want?"

"No, it's alright. You can ask me now."

Kuroko's voice sounds like it normally does- emotionless, without any inflections or pauses to give Kise an idea about what the other boy is feeling. Kise can feel himself start to sweat- _what if he says no? What if he calls me mean names- or, what if he hates me? What if he decides he never wants to see me again?_ "Kise-kun, is there something wrong?" Kuroko inquires after a lengthy pause.

"Oh, um, yes- I mean, no. Nothing's wrong. I just-" Kise runs a hand through his hair, licking his lips nervously. "Hah, sorry. I'm being really weird. But, uh. Anyways. Kurokocchi, I was wondering-" he takes in a shakey breath, hoping he's not freaking Kuroko out with his anxiousness, rubbing his chest like that might slow down the beating of his heart. "If you would go out with me? On a date? Because I- ah- like you a lot, and, you- you know, if you don't want to, I understand, because this is really weird right, so I should just-"

"Yes."

Kise lets out something like "huh", or another eloquent noise to express his confusion.

"I would be happy to go out on a date with Kise-kun." There's a pause, and Kise can hear Nigou panting and barking in the background. "I have to go walk Nigou now, but we can talk more about this later."

"Oh, um, y-yeah, sure," Kise buries his burning face into the crook of his elbow, the reality of what just happened starting to sink in. _He said yes, he said yes, he said yes, he said yes…_ "Good night, Kise-kun."

"Good night, Kurokocchi~" Kise cheers, back to his normal, hyper, annoying self. There's a soft click as Kuroko hangs up and then Kise is just sitting there with the phone pressed against his ear, staring at the wall, smiling like an idiot.

"Well? What happened?" Naomi asks when it's been silent long enough for it to be obvious that the call is over.

"He said yes."

"Oh, well, that's- wait, really? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Naomi tackles her little brother from behind, giggling and shrieking "big sis was right, I told ya, I told ya". Mai joins the dog pile a moment later, ruffling Kise's hair roughly and mumbling "I'm proud of you, Ryouta" with a small smile. _He said yes, he said yes, he said yes, Kurokocchi said yes! Ah! I'm so happy!_

"Now, we've just got to train you for your first date!" Naomi announces cheerfully. "Ehhhhhh?"

* * *

Kuroko places his phone on his bedside table, gathering Nigou in his arms and pressing his face in his black and white fur to hide the slight flush on his cheeks. The small dog squirms uncomfortably in his master's arms, struggling to go outside or at least turn around so he can lick Kuroko's face.

With a small sigh, Kuroko sets his dog free so he can go find the leash, a small smile on his lips.

_That idiot finally asked._


	13. Just a Ghost

**Okay, so! A little author's note before we begin: THIS CHAPTER CAN BE TRIGGERING, so read with caution, okay? V sad. V sad chappy. Also, I will be doing a switcheroo chapter of this with the roles reverse, but there will most likely be a cushion of fluff between the two, so don't hate me! As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoy! Comments are welcome~ feed the author~**

_I love you, I love you, I love you._

_I will always, always stand by you._

_No matter what, no matter what._

_I will always be with you._

Kise Ryouta wakes up crying.

It's not an uncommon occurrence by now; opening his eyes to find tears staining his cheeks and the taste of salt hanging on his lips. Why does he cry in his sleep? He has no idea. There's no reason for the tears- everything in his world is perfect and beautiful. So, why is he crying in his sleep? It's quite a mystery. His boyfriend seems just as confused when he rolls over, blue eyes wide and innocent, to find Kise rubbing at his eyes. "Kise-kun, is something wrong? Are you injured?" Comes the question- the same question as every morning. The genuine concern in his Kurokocchi's voice melts his heart, and Kise lunges across the bed, flinging his arms around the smaller boy.

"Don't worry, Kurokocchi! It was just a dream. I'm fine." The reassurance feels hollow on his tongue and Kise's brow furrows because he has the strangest feeling that he's not okay. But, why would he not be okay? Everything is perfect and happy. What reason would he have to be sad?

"Ah. Alright. Would you let go of me, Kise-kun? I need to go make breakfast."

Kise's arms tighten around his boyfriend and a whine bubbles up in his throat. "Do you really _have_ to? It's a day off, can't we just stay in bed? Please, Kurokocchi~" He flashes Kuroko his most heartbreaking pout and puppy dog eyes. Kuroko raises an eyebrow, looking both annoyed and amused. "Does Kise-kun really want to waste his day off lazing around in bed?"

And, like everything is going according to a script, Nigou bursts through the bedroom door at that exact moment, tongue lolling out of his mouth, eyes sparkling with excitement. Even though the dog looks like his master, he certainly doesn't take after him personality-wise. Nigou is energetic and expressive and constantly excited, while Kuroko is more subdued and conceals his expressions. _But it's no contest who the cutest one is~ _Kise thinks as Kuroko hops out of bed with Nigou wriggling in his arms. With his usual blank face, he turns to Kise. "I need to walk Nigou. I'll be right back."

"Ehhh? Wait, Kurokocchi! I'll come with youuuu~" Kise rolls out of bed, quickly stripping out of his sleep clothes and dressing in something more presentable. You know, if you consider an oversized t-shirt with a bottle of maple syrup on it and pancake-patterned shorts presentable. Kuroko merely smirks at his boyfriend's attire. At some point, he must've changed, because now Kuroko is wearing that blue and red striped shirt Kise loves on him and those skinny jeans that show off his cute butt (a comment Kise kept to himself after being elbowed for the shirt compliment). "If you insist."

They stroll through their loft apartment- which cost about triple Kuroko's salary and only became theirs after a lot of cuddling and sweet talk on Kise's part- and Kuroko deftly harnesses Nigou, patting the bouncing puppy on his head. _AWWWWW~ So cute~ _Kise barely suppresses the urge to throw his arms around his boyfriend and rub their cheeks together. _Kurokocchi is really the cutest. _

The door to their apartment is blue. Dark blue with a square peep hole that they never really use- who needs to? It's a safe neighborhood, a safe apartment building. Most people don't even lock their apartment doors. Kuroko turns to leave without locking theirs, but something makes Kise stop from following. _We should really start locking the door... It may be safe around here, but you never know. I don't think I could live with myself if someone got in and hurt Kurokocchi because we don't lock the door. _"Kurokocchi?" His boyfriend looks over his shoulder back at him, cuddling Nigou to his chest. "Um... Let's lock the door today, right?"

"Hm. Alright, Kise-kun."

Kuroko pulls the keys out of his pocket and tosses them to Kise, who fumbles and almost drops them. _How weird... _Kise's eyes drift to his hands, which are trembling. Why? Why is he trembling? What does he have to be afraid of?

_So much. I have so much to be afraid of. _

"Ryouta? Are you going to lock the door or not?" Kise snaps out of whatever momentary freak out that was and sends his boyfriend a reassuring smile. "Of course. Sorry. I just... zoned out for a bit." He doesn't even respond to Kuroko calling him by his first name- a sure sign that something's wrong.

Kuroko hums in response, not looking quite convinced, but he doesn't say anything as Kise locks the door and hurries over to him.

* * *

"Ooh, Kurokocchi, let's eat there!"

Kise points to a small cafe on the street corner. Nigou's little chest is heaving after their long walk around the neighborhood, and Kuroko looks pretty winded himself. He looks especially cute with his red cheeks and messed up bangs; it reminds Kise of how his boyfriend always looked after a game- exhausted and content. "Come on, they even have vanilla milkshakes~" Kise singsongs when he notices the unsure look on Kuroko's face. Of course, the mention of his favorite drink washes away any indecision about splurging and having breakfast at the upscale cafe. It's only a few blocks from their apartment and it's rumored to have the best chocolate pastries in the entire country.

Kise heads in to grab them some sweets- a chocolate danish and a cup of cafe au lait for him, and an extra large vanilla shake and a vanilla kolache. He's not one hundred percent positive what a kolache is, but it looks yummy, and Kuroko shouldn't be subsisting solely on vanilla shakes. It's unhealthy.

"Thank you, Kise-kun." Kuroko says when he exits the cafe and finds Kuroko sitting at one of the fancy bistro tables. Nigou sits at his feet, head propped on his front paws. "No problem, Kurokocchi! I'm just happy we finally have time to spend with each other..." Kise's voice trails off and he frowns into his coffee. Ever since he got a regular position on a popular drama, he's had almost no time to spend with Kuroko. He only ever has mornings off- and that's when Kuroko is at his job at the kindergarten. That leaves him stuck playing one-on-ones with Kagami or Aomine respectively- depending on whether the fireman and police officer aren't working themselves. It gets kind of lonely lounging around the house with no one but Nigou to keep him company. Honestly, Kise's life would be dull and depressing without Kurokocchi.

_It would be the worst, wouldn't it?_

_It would make me want to just die._

Kise's frown deepens at the depressing thoughts; he seems to be having a lot of those recently. What's wrong with him? Everything's going great- sure, he doesn't get to spend as much time with his boyfriend as he wants, but he still gets to cuddle with him every weekend. His life is good.

So why does his chest feel all tight? Why does he feel like he should be crying?

"Kise-kun, is there something wrong? You look upset?" Kuroko's eyes are wide and confused. It's like he doesn't know how scared Kise is of losing him, of how even the thought of it is making his heart throb in this painful way... "-se-kun? Kise-kun?" Kise jolts. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kurokocchi! I don't know what's gotten into me today! I just keep worrying myself over nothing." Kuroko nods and watches Kise with searching eyes. "Alright. If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." A small, pale hand lays itself over Kise's larger one, and Kise feels an odd flutter in his chest at how cold Kuroko's hand is. "Are you cold? But it's so hot outside... Don't worry! I'll warm you up!" Kise drags his chair closer to Kuroko's and drapes himself over the smaller boy.

Kuroko doesn't protest surprisingly enough, and they spend at least an hour like that: Kise's arms loosely wrapped around Kuroko, Kuroko's face pressed against his shoulder. Kise's body heat slowly warms up his boyfriend, driving away that odd coldness that makes Kise feel uncomfortable.

"I love you, Kurokocchi." He mumbles into his boyfriend's soft, blue hair. It smells like the cheap drugstore shampoo Kuroko insists on using; it's a mystery to Kise as to why his boyfriend refuses to share his expensive strawberry-scented shampoo. It's not as though they can't afford it, and it smells nice, and it makes Kise's hair feel as soft as Nigou's special blanket. But, Kuroko is stubborn about some things, and that's something Kise loves about him.

Although, he loves everything about him.

So, I guess that doesn't mean much.

* * *

The morning is wasted in a cuddly haze on the couch in the living room, flipping between boring soap operas and news reports. Kuroko blocked the gossip-y channels a few years ago when Kise was being ridiculed for some dumb picture that had parents calling for him to be fired from his family-friendly company. You do one underwear campaign, and suddenly you're a sexual deviant.

Kuroko's head is tucked under Kise's chin, and his back is pressed against Kise's chest, and Kise has his arms wrapped around his slim waist. Kuroko is propped up on one elbow, flipping through the channels with a slightly peeved look on his face. "Nothing good on?" Kise inquires, not even bothering to glance at the TV. He and Kuroko have very different opinions on what "good" TV is. Kise likes the sickeningly romantic, over-the-top drama shows and movies, while Kuroko prefers realistic things- like movies based on historical events or documentaries on prostitutes. The only farfetched, way-out-there entertainment Kuroko allows himself to indulge in is horror movies. He likes thrilling who-done-it mysteries and slasher flicks and movies about possessed dolls. Kise tries to keep his head buried in Kuroko's neck during such movies, and, judging from the noises coming from the TV, Kuroko has settled on a classic, slash-and-hack movie with gratuitous blood splattering and gore.

"Mm. Not really. It's mostly romantic-comedies." It amazes Kise how much disdain his boyfriend can pack into the words "romantic-comedy". He really hates unrealistic romances set in that world of fantasy where everything goes right and unrequited love only exists for those who don't deserve requited love. "You know, our relationship is probably closer to a romantic-comedy than anything else."

This earns him a scathing glare from his boyfriend. "I prefer to think of it as more realistic than that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

"But isn't a famous model falling for a kindergarten teacher great rom-com material?"

"Kise-kun, I am _trying_ to watch a movie."

"Aw~ Kurokocchi is so cute when he's mad~"

"Hmph."

Kise snuggles closer to his adorable boyfriend, burying his face into the crook of his neck. He hears a chainsaw rev, and shives at the thought of what's happening on screen. He hates blood- the scent of it, its appearance, the way it slowly spreads until everything is a bright crimson. He hates paper cuts and skinned knees and anything that involves blood dripping down skin onto the ground. So, yeah, he's squeamish, he admits it. Why wouldn't he be? Blood is terrible.

Being the masochist he is, his mind drifts to crimson sliding down porcelain skin, dripping into dull blue eyes, dying powder blue hair black. The images of Kuroko on the ground, bleeding, dead, are so vivid he feels like throwing up; it's horrifying and terrible and he clings even tighter to his boyfriend, trying to ignore the feeling in his gut that those images aren't imaginary.

* * *

Lunch is simple- more of a quick snack than anything. "Aominecchi wants to play basketball with us," Kise mentions as he flicks through the texts he's received- a pitiful total of 105. On an average day, he has probably 500. Today, everyone is trying to keep communication to a minimum. No one wants to be the one to ruin the day off he's been raving about for months.

"Well, we can. If you're up for it." Kuroko replies, nursing a cup of water. When, Kise doesn't know, but at some point Kuroko has changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and one of Kise's t-shirts, which is big enough that it exposes an entire shoulder. _So beautiful._ Kise understands why Aomine and Kagami almost never hang out with them when they're together; Kise admits that he's in love with Kuroko in a very, _very_ obvious way. He's aware that his eyes seek out Kuroko whenever they're together because he doesn't think he could ever get his fill of that pale skin and silky hair in this lifetime. He knows that his gentle touches linger a little longer than strictly necessary, and that he takes any chance he gets to brush a finger against Kuroko's arm or to slide his fingertips down his boyfriend's cheek. He gets that he's annoying and over affectionate- but who wouldn't be? Kuroko is the single most beautiful, amazing person he's met in his life, and no matter of teasing or elbow jabs or disappointed frowns will change that.

"I'd rather stay home. Enjoy our time together."

"You mean lie on the couch all day?"

"Hmm..." Kise comes up behind his boyfriend, bending down to nuzzle his neck. "I think I can come up with other activities..."

And so, the afternoon is wasted in bed, again. Kise marks Kuroko's pale skin with his lips and presses sloppy kisses all over him, feeling lazy and lusty and like someone poured sunlight into his soul. He could spout an entire play's worth of poetic crap, something worthy of Romeo and Juliet, but the end result is that he is _happy_. Kise Ryouta is happy and in love and he thinks he must've saved the country in a past life to deserve this time with Kuroko.

_Oh, God, don't let this turn out to be a tragedy. _He pushes the thought away, focusing instead on the cute mewling noises Kuroko is making and the way his toes are curling. _I love you, I love you, I love you. _"I love you too, Ryouta." Kuroko whispers. And Kise doesn't wonder how his boyfriend read his thoughts or worry about the sense of finality lingering in the air. He's too busy thinking about this beautiful boy he somehow managed to trick into being his boyfriend- this angel he somehow managed to talk down to earth. Some may say that Kise is the sun, burning bright and shining, but he doesn't think that's quite right. No, Kuroko is the sun, so bright and wonderful and warm, and he is the earth, basking in the glory of the sun, taking all the heat it has to offer.

* * *

"Kise-kun."

The voice is strong yet firm and Kise drowsily looks over at his boyfriend, who's sitting up in the bed beside him, smiling softly. The smile is all feathered edges and fragile glass, sad and sweet and weak. It makes him sit up quickly and grab Kuroko's hands, worry eating his heart. "Kurokocchi? What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Kise-kun.

"I know... I know I promised. To be here, with you, always.

"But, you know what time it is.

"I can't- I have to leave now.

"I love you. I love you so much."

And then Kuroko is running out of the room, out of the apartment, and Kise is chasing after him, not stopping to throw on any clothes over his boxers and t-shirt. He's running, running, running, chasing his love. Yes, yes that's what Kuroko is. He's not just his boyfriend; he's his love- his heart, his soul. And it's cheesy and sickening and dumb, but it's true. Kuroko is everything to him; he crept in- that silent, ghostly, blue-haired boy- and snuck into his heart, his mind, his life. It- this love- wasn't intentional. It wasn't a decision.

"Kuroko! Wait!" Kise's lungs are burning and his feet are aching and the air is no longer warm and humid- everything is cold and frigid and metallic. Wind whips against his exposed skin and as the coldness seeps into his skin, the memories seep into his mind.

Blood, pools of blood, that terrible crimson staining his life, staining his love.

Blue lights and wailing sirens, blue and red dragging him away from that terrible, terrible blood.

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere, chocolate being shoved at him, chocolate to make it better. To stop the ache. To comfort him when people can't.

Black wisps of fabric and tear-stained faces. Meeting Kuroko's parents again in the worst way possible.

Wood, dark polished wood, and satin fabric cradling him. Cradling powder blue hair and skin the color of fresh snow and lips the color of cherries.

An empty bed. Empty, so painfully, terribly empty.

Coldness that seeps deep inside of him, never to be warmed up.

"Kuroko- I don't- I can't-" He's sobbing now as he chases. But, now there's nothing to chase. Kuroko has stopped, stopped to look back over his shoulder at him, a smile as soft as the wings of a bird- and just as fragile. "I'm sorry. I love you."

"Then don't leave!" Kise screams, his throat raw and painful. "I didn't- I didn't mean to leave the d-door unlocked. I didn't mean to take- take so long at the store. I didn't mean to, Kurokocchi, so please. Please don't leave me. You're- you're everything to me. We're supposed to- to have forever together. I don't- please, Kuroko, don't leave me alone."

"Kise-kun." Kuroko is in front of him now, cupping his face in his hands, smiling that smile that drives a knife deep in his heart. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself.

"This isn't fair... I know that. I love you too, you know? And, I want- I want forever.

"But you have to move on. You can't stay here. You have a life to live.

"This... isn't our lifetime to be together. I'm sorry. I love you. Live enough for the both of us, right?"

And all Kise can do is stare at Kuroko and watch as he steps around Kise and walks away. _Don't look. Don't look back. _But Kise whips around, his love's name hanging on his tongue.

And there is no one there.

He is alone.

"No-you! No, God, why, no... This isn't f-fair... I don't, I can't..." Kise covers his face and the sadness fills him up. His love, his sun, his everything- is gone. He is gone and Kise is alone. Every memory, every thought of his beloved is stained with bloody crimson and flooded with tears.

The world is cruel and cold.

And there is nothing left in it for Kise.

**Do you hate me yet? I'm a bad author... bleh. Such depression, much sad. Anyways, hope you enjoyed (if you can enjoy such a chapter...)! For what really happened, I imagine this is Kise's mind when he's asleep/unconscious trying to get him to accept what happened in the real world. I guess there's a little bit of an inkling of like suicide maybe, but that's up to you whether you want to think Kise is dreaming- or "passing on". For Kuroko's part, I think Kise went out to buy him something during their glorious day off together, and there was a serial killer/thief in the neighborhood, and Kise returns home to a dead Kuroko. Aomine and Kagami are some of the first responders. Murasakibara- who owns the upscale sweetshop by their house- gives Kise free chocolate and pastries to make him feel better. Midorima is the one who helps organize the funeral- with Momoi's help- because everyone else is just kind of... not there. So! That's my take- you're free to have your own ideas~ until next time, lovelies!**


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